The Revenue Generating Team for the Mt. Lebanon School District held their town hall meeting tonight at the Mt. Lebanon High School Library. The audience consisted of a man, a woman who came in late, and a Boy Scout. The only School Board member in attendance was Mary Birks. Dr. Steinhauer was present, but did not speak. Jan Klein revealed that the Revenue Generating Team has been having meetings since May 2010. The meeting lasted eleven minutes and 29 seconds and has been posted on lebocitizens.com. No TV cameras were in use this evening. The Team had nothing to offer. Sounds like it was a success.
Update 10:50 P.M. Please listen to the 11 minute meeting, if you can. You will hear how the School District dropped the ball with the Mt. Lebanon Foundation of Education. The comment was made that there was little effort from the School District because no one "felt any pain." This was the only comment made at the meeting. I think there was a message tonight. It was advertised on the Municipal website, the School District website, Lebo Citizens' blog, and Lebo Citizens' website. One woman, one man with a recorder, and a Boy Scout.
Update March 10, 2011 12:48 P.M. Kaitlynn Riely's article, http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11069/1130905-55.stm, failed to mention that Jackie Foor, the one attendee with a comment, is the Executive Director for Mt. Lebanon Foundation for Education. Is that a paid position?
7 comments:
I was the man in the audience. None of the regulars from VOICE could be seen. David Huston
I just wonder....maybe I'm reaching a bit...but perhaps, just perhaps....Naaah....that couldn't be it, could it...that maybe the reason for the public no-shows in spite of all the publicity and public notice and invitations was that the public is in no mood or inclination to suggest any more means of taking any more money from our already overtaxed households....could that really even possibly be the reason ?
Lets hope the District will provide another glossy 4-page color insert in the next issue of the *mtl* to address this question and give us a teaser as to what they might really have in mind for us. Lets also hope they employ "spellcheck" before it goes to the printer.
Bill Lewis
Well, perhaps the biggest contributor to last night's town hall wasn't even in attendance.
From this mornings PG: "To cope with the loss of stimulus money at the local level, Mr. Corbett called on public school employees statewide to agree to a one-year pay freeze, which he said would save districts $400 million.
Mr. Corbett cannot order such a freeze because employee pay is governed by existing contracts.
Mr. Corbett also called for relieving school districts of certain mandates that may add to costs, such as limitations on reasons they can furlough teachers.
James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, noted hundreds of teachers had been laid off in anticipation of the budget. [not in Lebo, we raised salaries]
"Our members recognize that this is a time for shared sacrifice," [not in Lebo, our teachers support a $113,000,000 high school] Mr. Testerman said in a statement. "We would expect that school districts have a clear plan showing how any savings from a freeze would go back into programs to benefit students." [our board's plan, ask students to pay for flag poles]
Gov. Corbett doesn't have any suggestions for generating revenue, only making it perfectly clear that the well has gone dry.
A message that our forward thinking 21st century administrators, board and educators obviously have chosen to deny that it could happen.
Anyone still believe the HS project is only going to be $18/month more?
- Giffen Good
The District needs to think outside the box. I've identified two heretofore unknown sources of funding: 1)Late-night TV star David Letterman, who recently told guest Rand Paul that Wisconsin teachers should be paid double what they currently receive (the web site “Teacher World” lists the average 2009 state-wide salary in Wisconsin as $52,644, and in Pennsylvania as $58,124), and 2)film maker Michael Moore, who recently stated that there is NO debt crises in the United States (the New York Times agrees). Moore suggests taking money from rich, fat-cats. Well, Moore qualifies as both rich and fat – maybe he'd be interested in helping the District. I'm sure both of these gentlemen know how this works: “From each, according to his ability, to each, according to his need.” I once suggested, somewhat facetiously, to one of my rich friends that the property tax was a throwback to a time when land actually produced income for the person who owned it, but that now it should be abolished in favor of a direct tax on incomes. He was appalled! For him the property tax is a small percentage of his rather substantial income and a minor annoyance. Oh well; maybe the idea of a $10,000 per cookie bake sale isn't such a bad one after all!
Richard R. Gideon
This was a Town Hall meeting for all 32,000 residents of Lebo...and 3 showed up....a man to record the meeting, a Boy Scout who said he was there only to qualify for a merit badge and not to comment otherwise, and a MLFE representative who criticized the District for not supporting the MLFE...and this *Team* was established by the SB in May 2010 ?
Wonderful...and what happened to all those ranting critics who sent blast e-mails criticizing Matt Kluck's reservation only Town Hall meeting last year; and, who staged a demonstration, waving demeaning hand-held signs in front of the Muni building, chanting in a frenzy slogans, almost frothing at their mouths...and who brought children to participate in the sorid affair...where were all those sorry souls who claim to care so very much about the schools ?
Bill Lewis
Giffen,
Remember, they say "$18/month (or less)."
And if you believe that, I have a lot at the top of Bower Hill @ Washington Rd I want to sell you.
:)
Richard, those cookies better be really good.
Thank our lucky stars that we didn't rush to follow the recommendations of the BOSN group and their supporters. Who early on pressed vigorously to rush into a new $150,000,000 high school.
Perhaps a revisit to those early discussion and meetings would be prudent.
- Giffen Good
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